With over 500 horsepower, agile steering, and pavement grip that practically defies gravity — the modern Shelby GT350 is the closest thing to a factory-produced road racer. But what happens when you take this platform to a new level with a set of twin turbochargers? Well, Tony Janko of Indianapolis, Indiana, had to find out.

“I wanted a car that was a little different and unique from most other cars at events. I’ve always been a fan of Mustangs, especially Shelbys. I considered purchasing and restoring a ’65 or ’66 fastback, but after putting pen to paper, I realized I would be looking at a number I wasn’t comfortable spending,” Tony explained.

During that time the new GT350s were just being released and he knew this was the direction to go, but with limited availability and dealership price gouging, getting his hands on one was a challenge.

“The only one I could find in the color I wanted with the Tech Pack and goodies at a reasonable price was outside of Austin, in Hutto, Texas,” he said. “So I negotiated a price on the phone, hopped on a plane, made the purchase and drove her straight home.”

By the time he arrived back, he already had a pile of go-fast parts waiting at the front doorstep. Along with a few cosmetic upgrades were a set of Kooks long-tube headers and a JLT cold air intake, all of which he topped off with a custom tune that pumped out 523 rear wheel horsepower.

“She sounded great and ran good, but she’s not a light car, and I really wanted something that would excite and scare me every time I fired her up…” Tony said. “She needed a lot more horsepower for sure!”

So he began digging around the local Mustang scene and ended chatting with members of the Indianapolis South Side Mustang Club. From there he was introduced to a local custom shop, Fathouse Fabrications.

“After meeting with the owners Ben, John, and Jeremy and seeing their attention to detail, passion for what they do, and the results — I knew I found a place I could trust,” Tony said.

The team at Fathouse decided that with the flat-plane crankshaft technology of the 5.2-liter Voodoo engine, it was best to run an adjustable turbo setup on the car with the ability to run higher boost only when needed.

“Intending to keep the internals stock, I didn’t want to stress the crank any more than necessary,” Tony said. “I also liked the idea of being able to simply press a button and crank up an extra 100, 200, or even 400 horsepower with no other changes.”

The install process began by dropping the engine cradle and transmission out from the underneath the car. This provided enough room to mount two underside Precision 6266 turbochargers, and precisely fabricate the custom intercooler tubing along with the custom stainless steel exhaust headers.

“Exciting is the word I would use,” Tony said. “Seeing them lower the entire engine cradle down from your new car to build a true custom twin-turbo setup was exciting!”

After everything was installed, the car was then sent over to Corbin Johnson, owner of Johnson Tuning, who he dialed it in to a final number of 1,056 horsepower and 782 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels, with only 13 pounds of boost.

“Until you put your foot past a third of the throttle, she’s just like any other road-going Shelby or Mustang for that matter — but all that changes once you rev past 3,400 rpm and depress the go pedal!” Tony said.

Finally, the exciting, scary car he sought was finally in his grasp and prowling the streets became a new venture for the pair.

“I never drove a turbo car before, and had no idea what it would be like when the horsepower and torque hit…” Tony enthused. “It’s a pure adrenaline rush! Initially I had her turned down to the 650 horsepower preset to get more comfortable with how she would react when I mashed on it. Now with some seat time I’m much more competent, but just as thrilled.”

Thrilled enough that he recently participating at a local half-mile racing event, where he was able to open the car up at full throttle. He says the car reached 173 mph across the line, but that was only topping out in Fifth gear. Needless to say, there’s plenty of room to go.

“It was an honor to fab a custom twin-turbo kit for Tony. He seems to truly appreciate the time and energy that went into building his kit, and he gave us the freedom to design and build it the way we wanted,” Ben Stoner, owner of Fathouse Fabrications, said. “We have been able to push the limits of the factory Voodoo engine, something not too many people have done. The end result speaks for itself and the car is amazing to drive!”

Overall it seems that Tony’s twin-turbo Shelby has room to grow and there are several plans on the horizon. But, like most of us, staying at one level of performance is difficult to maintain — even if you own a 1,056-horsepower GT350.